Amid a five-game losing streak and with a defense that has given up the most goals per game in the NHL, Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon is preaching patience.

The Panthers head into Friday night’s game against Buffalo with a 4-8-2 record, accumulating 10 points in 14 games and putting them on pace for a 59-point season. Florida’s defense has allowed 4.14 goals per game and a NHL-worst 38.1 shots on goal per game. The Panthers have more points than just one other NHL team (Arizona) and none in the Eastern Conference.

But Tallon looks at the disappointing start with optimism, confident that the Panthers have what they need in the dressing room to turn the season around.

“A couple bounces here, a couple shots here, a couple games there, we turn it around,” Tallon said. “We’re confident we can continue to compete. I just want our players to believe in the process.”

At times, the Panthers have resembled the division championship unit from two years ago, beating Tampa Bay and St. Louis and Washington. Other times, the Panthers have looked like the listless teams that once inhabited the division cellar, losing embarrassingly to Tampa Bay and Columbus.

With a loss on Friday, the Panthers would tie the longest losing streak from a year ago, a lost season in which Florida fired coach Gerard Gallant and then floundered under interim coach Tom Rowe. As it happened, Tallon watched, his power diminished with Rowe installed as the GM during a reorganization following an Atlantic Division championship in 2015-16.

This year, Tallon returned to his post as general manager and hired first-time NHL head coach Bob Boughner to lead the Panthers.

The Florida Panthers called up forward Dryden Hunt from AHL affiliate Springfield on Thursday morning, adding a 13th forward to their active roster.

Hunt, 21, has never played in an NHL game. This year in Springfield, he has five goals and three assists in 13 games. Last season, he totaled 13 goals...

“They got to start believing in themselves a little more, show a little more confidence in themselves,” Tallon said. “It’s a project. We understand where we’re going, and I’m very patient. I like how things are going as far as the coaches, the players buying into the new systems. Just trusting it now.”

Tallon pointed to the Panthers’ youth, especially on the defensive end as a reason for the early-season struggles. Of Florida’s seven defensemen on the roster currently, only one is older than 26 years old. Keith Yandle is 31.

Yandle (757) has played in more NHL games than the other six combined (755). Ian McCoshen and MacKenzie Weegar have played in a total of 24 NHL games. But McCoshen and Weegar are being counted on, in part, because the Panthers traded defenseman Jason Demers to Arizona during training camp.

Albeit in a sample size of 14 games, no team since the 1995-96 San Jose Sharks has allowed more goals per game than the Panthers’ 4.14. No team since the 1974-75 Washington Captials has allowed more shots on goal per game than the Panthers’ 38.1.

Tallon said some struggles were to be expected with the young defensemen.

“That was to be expected with five defensemen that haven’t played 300 games in the NHL,” Tallon said. “We expected growing pains with them. I’m very patient. … It takes 300 games in my opinion before they become really good NHL defensemen. We’re willing to put up with it. We got a young team, young core, good coaches, they’re learning.

“It’s a different system. Just have to be patient. I see the future and I see that we’re going to be a good team for a long time to come based on our performances some nights against good teams and some of our good periods. We just have to be more consistent.”

Weighted by time on ice, the Panthers’ overall average age is 27.6, right on par with the league average, according to Hockey Reference. But stars such as Aaron Ekblad (21), Aleksander Barkov (22), Vincent Trocheck (24) and Jonathan Huberdeau (24) still haven’t hit 25 years old.

Tallon said the young defensemen need to display more composure to avoid turnovers and mistakes that lead to scoring chances. He banked on it coming with more experience.

Tallon remained upbeat about making a playoff push, a preseason goal for the Panthers after they finished 14 points out of the postseason a year ago. Florida has 68 games remaining.

“We got a long way to go yet,” Tallon said. “We got a long way to go.”